Effects of Expansion of Cultivation on Pastoralism as a Food-Security Measure in Longido District, Northern Tanzania

The pace at which cultivation is expanding in the pastoral livelihood zones accentuates the need to take a pro-active role in choosing land use practices that increase food production in areas such as Longido District where climate variability renders agricultural production uncertain, but pastoralism as the mainstay of the economy. This study used a structured questionnaire to randomly assess the perceived impact of expansion of cultivation on 165 respondents in three ecological zones, namely Lowlands, Hills, and Mountains of Longido District in Northern Tanzania. Results show that expansion of cultivation results into reduced herd-splitting, a practice that enhances niche specialization grazing land by browsers and grazers. It also leads to loss of grazing land, restricted livestock movement, and escalation of conflicts between pastoralists and farmers. Considering the role pastoralism in the district, these effects are a potential threat to pasture availability, livestock productivity, and food security. To minimize the threat, it would be appropriate for the Longido District authorities, in conjunction with the communities, to establish reserves of grazing lands based on ecological zones. Such areas would have to be protected by traditional rules, coupled with village by laws that shall be strictly enforced as part of a food-security policy.